Sin of my Soul
by DaughterOfStarlight
Summary: Hades knows he should keep his attentions fixed on Demeter, but her lovely daughter persists in catching his eye. Persephone is sunlight on roses and schoolgirl giggles tied up all pretty with a bow...It's a pity she's only thirteen. Based on Nabokov's Lolita. R&R, please.
1. Honey

**Author's Note: Rated for sensuality, nothing explicit. This does involve an underage pairing, (it**_** is**_** based on Lolita) technically incest, but that's the ship and the Greek gods in general. I completely understand if any of that makes you squeamish, but if that's the case it would probably save you the time and emotional exhaustion of flaming me to merely skip this story instead. For everyone at peace with the concept, I think you'll very much like this. It's my first time playing in the steamy sandbox, so I've got plenty of pent up heat to distribute ;) Enjoy. *Bows low, biding the curtain rise***

Hades knew better, he really did. He had watched his brother chase skirts of all dispositions into varying predicaments and ruinations and Hades had always fancied himself above such diversions. He assessed new acquaintances in terms of worthiness as a prospective mate and always enjoyed the company of a beautiful woman, what man didn't? But he didn't fall all over himself for their sake; it was unwise and unbecoming of the prince of the dead. But when Persephone appeared in the doorway that damned summer afternoon, Hades was undone. He knew from then on, he would be consumed with an unquenchable curiosity regarding her and a desperate _need_ for her presence. He would raise Hell to claim that girl, and as history so graciously tells us again and again, the god was forced to do just that.

It started innocently enough, with tea of all things. Demeter had invited Hades to her woodland cottage on a drowsy afternoon for civil conversation and imported tea, and while Hades cringed at the notion of a "woodland cottage" and all the fuzzy, miraculously tame wildlife and gaily bubbling brooks the phrase brought to mind, he was pleasantly surprised at the scene he found upon arrival. Demeter's "cottage" was indeed a handsome and distinguished château, hewn from ancient stone and crawling with ivy and heady honeysuckle. He was ushered through the carved doors by a pair of nubile nymphs, Demeter's familiars, and was greeted by the goddess of summer in her expansive kitchen, awash in sunlight from the open windows and swimming in the delightful scent of buttered scones and rosehip tea.

The two exchanged the warm greetings of old friends and Hades kissed Demeter lightly on the check, a cordial gesture, but didn't miss the way she leaned into the point of contact ever-so-slightly. The goddess had always held a certain fondness for him, he had no illusions about that, but the fact that Demeter's daughter had been sired by Hade's exalted brother and the simple truth that Hades had no romantic interest in the goddess had kept anything deeper than friendship from blossoming over the years. Still, it didn't stop Demeter from trying, and Hades noted with some amusement the flowers she had woven into her luscious chestnut hair for the occasion and the way she looked coyly at him from beneath her lashes as she shared what had been going on in her realm since they last spoke.

Hades smiled behind his teacup at her display, allowing her this little fantasy. _Oh, Demeter. So charmingly blind to the desires of the other party._

Hades smooth reply to one of her inquires was cut off as his sharp eyes detected movement behind Demeter's shoulder, and whatever it was he intended to say died in his throat as _she_ appeared in the doorway. A slip of a thing, all long, gangly legs and impossible amounts of honey-colored hair, candy-apple lips being tugged on by pearly teeth, wide green eyes and a dress that hugged her newly developed hips and budding breasts with unforgiving accuracy. Hades had no words, which was fine, because Demeter was too busy chastising her daughter to notice the god's speechlessness.

"Persephone! You were supposed to be gathering honey with the nymphs in the far fields! Who let you back so soon? And oh, darling, your dress! I just had that made…"

Persephone didn't seem to care about the grasstains marring her tangerine-colored dress, rather strolled into the room barefooted and precocious as always.

"I was bored. It's terribly dull there. I ran away. I'd wager the nymphs are still searching for me. Who's that man, Mama?"

Demeter didn't seem to know who Persephone was referencing for a moment, then glanced at Hades and laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot! Hades, this is my daughter, Persephone. Persephone, this is your Uncle Hades. Zeus' brother?"

"I know 'im," Persephone muttered, sauntering right up to Hades and looking down at him with folded arms. "You're the god of the dead, huh?"

"Persephone," Demeter gasped, shocked. "Manners!"

Hades merely laughed, a low, rich sound that sent the corners of Persephone's mouth twitching upwards. "That's right. You're a clever one, aren't you?"

"So they tell me," Persephone said, extending her sticky hand for a shake. Hades didn't think twice about plucking it up and bringing it to his mouth in a gentlemanly kiss, it was merely the way he was raised. He immediately regretted it, because the taste of honey on her supple skin and the way she squeezed his hand in delight sent an unwelcome spiral of heat curling through his stomach.

"You're not scary," She declared sadly. "I was hoping you'd be more threatening. "

"Aren't I? You're very brave not to be scared of me. I could steal your soul away at this very moment."

Persephone laughed. "I don't think you will. Is it true you have a team of wild black horses that draw your chariot, with eyes of flame?"

"Yes. They're incredibly intelligent creatures, quite tame. You'd like them."

"And if you're bad," Demeter put in teasingly. "They'll appear in the night and drag you down to the Underworld!"

Because she couldn't see the future and therefore, the irony in this statement, Persephone squealed in mock terror, hiding behind Hades' chair.

"Maybe then you wouldn't be able to banish me to the fields for hard labor!"

Hades couldn't help but smirk at the way Persephone purposefully acted out, goading her mother, and saw a taste for mischief in her sparkling eyes that rivaled his own.

"How old are you, Persephone?"

"Thirteen and a half," She declared proudly, and Hades felt shock, disappointment, and shame riddle his heart with tiny bullets. _Thirteen…_She was just a baby. Even his brother wouldn't think of touching her, even if she weren't his daughter. That was too low, too detestable. But the way she slid her arms around his neck, resting her tiny chin on his shoulder and giggling into his ear, made everything moral and principled in his mind go suddenly fuzzy.

"Protect me from my wicked mother," She whispered with a smile.

"Of course," Hades indulged, winking at Demeter. "Shall I return her to the nymphs?"

"Oh, that's sweet," Demeter cooed. "But you don't have to. She's my daughter, I can manage her fine."

"Can't can't cant," Persephone teased, and every syllable sent a little gust of breath against Hades neck that he craved to take directly from her mouth with his own.

"Allow me, Demeter," He forced out, wanting to go just so he could stand and unwrap Persephone from his person. "I insist."

"Well, alright," The goddess said. "Thank you. Oh! Will you be staying with us tonight, Hades? I've had the nymphs prepare the guest house just in case…"

"That's very gracious Demeter, but it's no trouble. I had planned to return to the Underworld-"

"It's half a day's ride and twilight is starting. Please, stay as long as you like. It's terribly quiet around here, just me and Persephone. I insist."

Hades looked into the eager eyes of Demeter and felt the nimble fingers of her mischievous daughter entangle in his hair and sighed, resigning himself to his fate. For the sake of courtesy and no small amount of personal curiosity, he supposed he could vacation from the Underworld for a few days.

"That sounds marvelous. Thank you."

"My pleasure," Demeter cooed, finishing her tea. "The nymphs are in the upper field. Persephone will show you. And no tricks, girl, I'll be waiting here to make sure your uncle Hades returned unscathed within the hour."

Persephone muttered something about tricks and the time, then looked up with wide, inquisitive eyes as Hades stood and thanked her mother for the tea. Then she gave a little curtsey and led him out the French doors onto the rolling hills of her mother's forever fertile property.

"I'm glad mama brought you here," Persephone said casually, retrieving a tiny jar of fresh honey from the deep pocket of her dress as they strolled down the dusty country road.

"Why's that?" Hades said, watching with a little more interest than was proper as Persephone retrieved a wooden honey wand from the other pocket and thrust it into the golden treat before popping it into her perfectly shaped mouth.

"It's boring here, just mother and I and the nymphs. There's never anyone interesting around, and no men. Mama doesn't want me around any men, she says that's "trouble waiting to happen". What does she mean by that?"

Hades recognized the hard edge to her eyes, those found in children old enough to understand an adult concept but who played at being innocent simply to make the grown-up in the situation feel uncomfortable. It was a way of gauging this newcomer into her life, Hades recognized that, heaven knew he had done it enough as a child, he was always the guarded, too-smart-for-his-own-good one, and he wasn't about to play along.

"Why don't you tell me?" He challenged.

Persephone wasn't expecting this, and she hopped up on a nearby rock wall and sucked on her honey wand, only slightly out of sorts. "It means Mama's afraid I'm prettier than her," She declared, with all the usual arrogance of a pre-teen. She batted her eyelashes at Hades, not flirting, still trying to ruffle his feathers.

"Who do you think is prettier, Uncle Hades?"

"Your mother is beautiful," He answered, honestly. "You are lovely. They are two very different things and cannot be compared properly."

"Liar, they're the same."

"Not to a man."

Persephone pursed her lips at this, appropriately baffled for someone her age, then gave in to the fact that maybe he was more clever than she and began to lick the honey from her hands. The honey wand had done nothing to hold most of her sticky treat, and it had dripped over her fingers and palms as she spoke.

"Help me," She ordered, not looking at him, thrusting out her left hand as her tongue went to studious work on the right. Hades arched an eyebrow at this, because she was making misbehaving far too easy, then glanced around unconsciously as he considered his options. He really shouldn't…

"Hurry, it'll dry!" Persephone whined.

Hades sat down next to her on the wall and took the offered hand delicately, leading the sticky tip of one finger into his mouth. He sucked the honey off with a dry pop, then dragged the tip of his tongue along the length of her palm, wiping it clean. He continued along this vein for a few moments until he realized Persephone had stopped working on her hand and was watching him with something close to wonder.

"What is it?" He said gently, afraid he had crossed some line even though she had asked him to.

"Nothing," She said quietly, smiling lightly. "It just tickles."

Hades grinned and rather brazenly took all of her pinky finger into his mouth, dragging it out again slowly. Persephone laughed, retrieving her nearly dry hands and wiping them on her dress.

"You're strange."

"So are you," He shot back, grinning.

Persephone stuck her tongue out at him, then hopped off the wall and began to skip down the path.

"Where are you going?" Hades demanded. "Your mother told me to see to it you made it to the far fields."

"Maybe I'll go there," Persephone sing-songed. "And maybe I won't. It's not your concern anymore, silly man!"

Then she broke into the teasing laughter that would haunt Hades' dreams and disappeared around the bend, leaving Hades to savor the taste of honey on his tongue and wonder at this strange creature.

"Sephne," He murmured, adapting her unwieldy name to his tastes and making it his own. That's what he would call her. And she _would_ be his.


	2. Grass

Hades didn't expect to find the respite of living within Demeter's compound so delightful, nor the pastoral grace of sunny fields and elegant country living to suit his tastes so well. Hades was a businessman and practical besides, he was devoted to his work and it was often dark stuff. Not evil or cruel, but there was nothing cheery in running the realm of the dead and deciding appropriate punishments of rewards for mortals after death. It, paired with his taste for solitude and reluctance to attend the lavish, loud banquets his brother threw far too often had garnered him a rather bleak reputation. But he enjoyed the drowsy heat of Demeter's summer realm, so different from his drafty, marble halls, and the long evenings spent on the wraparound porch, watching the nymphs gather fruit from the fields while Persephone lay on her stomach at his feet, humming and reading…Were pure bliss.

The few days Hades had been reluctant to spend in Demeter's home had turned into a languid collection of weeks, which he savored, secure in the fact that the management he had left behind in the Underworld and the differences in the passing of time between the two realms would ensure that his absence would not be felt too strongly. Demeter was a perfect host, although the extended stay had enabled her to get closer to Hades, something he indulged because it was warm and familiar and probably harmless. He allowed her to link her arm through his as they walked through her property, Persephone darting about in front of them with her skirts swirling around skinned knees, or didn't shy away when she fell asleep with her head on his chest as the two reclined by the fireplace. Demeter was an old friend, nearly his sister; the interaction was neither unnatural nor uncomfortable. Persephone however, was a completely new experience.

She drifted in and out of his daily life like the lightest of summer breezes, jumping out from corners in an effort to startle him at all hours of the night, nudging his leg under the table at supper with her tiny feet, or braiding that glorious hair as she asked for the thousandth time what he was doing. She was always curious, _so_ curious. It soon became apparent to Hades that Persephone had an unquenchable thirst for practical knowledge, and the only education her mother had her receive was a glossing over of scientific principles in a larger curriculum of dusty humanities and magical gardening. Hades, whose love for applied mathematics was equal to his prolificacy in fine literature, had volunteered upon occasion to critique the poetry Persephone's mother made her write, but proofreading nearly always turned into instruction in natural physics of spatial geometry at the girl's wide-eyed pleading. Persephone was convinced she had Hades wrapped around her little finger, but the way he occasionally snapped at her when she did something too wicked to overlook or how he purposefully ignored her when she bid for his attention out of boredom made her work for it. Truth be told, she had the slightest whisper of a crush on the god, her first one, and she didn't probably know how to cope with it.

Hades soon turned into Persephone's refuge from her mother along with being friend, tutor, and occasional disciplinarian when Demeter was away. Persephone liked to play her emotional cards close to her chest, but sometimes she let her guard down utterly, like the time she came running into the sunroom in tears.

Hades, who had been standing and looking out the window in contemplation, was hit with a dull thump from behind as Persephone wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed. He turned in surprise, then took in her condition and embraced her, even though the top of her head only came up to his shoulders.

"Sephne," He murmured, smoothing back her hair with a gentle palm. "What's happened?"

"I hate my mother!" She cried angrily, tears staining the front of his button-down. Hades _tsked_ his tongue, kissing her head and inhaling the scent of flowers she always gave off.

"Don't say things you don't truly mean. Your mother is kind to you Persephone, you want for nothing."

"She never lets me do anything! I have no freedom! I can't leave this place, I can't see have any guests, I can't study what I want, I can't wear what I want…She just accused me of acting out to get attention! Can you believe that?"

Yes, Hades muttered inwardly, but her understood Persephone's anger. Girls her age usually didn't realize when they were pandering for attention, they just did whatever it took to feel loved and validated. For Persephone, this meant making a fuss over the most trifling thing and tormenting her mother, and Hades suspected it was the way she draped herself all over Hades as well. She may not have understood what she was doing completely, but she understood that it did something to Hades, and that made her feel powerful.

But she wasn't looking for power now, now she was just a scared little girl, and Hades sighed,

"You will appreciate what your mother has done one day…But I do understand, Persephone. Perhaps I could have a word with her on the subject? She could shout less if you promise not to interrupt."

"Please," Persephone sniffed. Then quietly, muffled by his shirt. "I wish you were my father, Hades."

Hades felt his heart plummet into his stomach, and all manner of awful names directed at himself and his actions flashed through his mind, but he forced a smile all the same. He reached down to brush the gleaming tears off her face with a thumb.

"Why don't you come sit with me, hmm? I'll show you what I'm working on."

Persephone grinned, tugging Hades eagerly by the hand to the table in the middle of the sun room. She always wanted to see what he was working on, and he very rarely let her.

Hades sat in his recently vacated chair, expecting Persephone to sit or stand beside him, but she sank down on his lap instead, balancing on his knees with an eager smile. Hades shifted uncomfortably for a moment guilty conscience wondering what Demeter would think if she walked in, but he pushed these thoughts away and slid an arm around Persephone's slim waist, pulling her close.

The girl was perusing the few papers and charts spread out on the table with bright eyes.

"They're maps," She announced.

"Clever you. Maps off all the realms, divine, mortal, and in-between."

"What are these?" Persephone asked, pointing to white X's that had been marked over some strategic points on the maps.

"They're portals," Hades murmured, free hand resting lightly on the table, gesturing as he spoke. "Places in the material world where my realm can be accessed. Naturally occurring, but troublesome. I'm trying to find them all and have them closed."

"Why?"

"Well they're dangerous. Mortals wander into my realm all the time, out of suicidal tendencies, search of a lost loved one, or simple curiosity. Botches the whole system up and infuriates the Fates. I promised those old bags I'd look into walling up some of the portals."

Persephone chuckled at Hades' teasing. "They are terrible old things, aren't they? But haven't mortals won back someone they loved from you, fair and square?"

"I suppose," Hades muttered blackly, all the paperwork the Orpheus fiasco had caused coming to immediate mind. "Although fair is debatable. "

"I think it's romantic," Persephone muttered. "What's that like?"

"What's what like?" Hades asked, nuzzling the crook of her neck.

"Being in love like that. So in love it makes you stupid and heedless."

Hades paused, drawing back a little to look at Persephone squarely. "It's like drowning in light. And being so enraptured by something you can hardly breathe and not being able to think straight when they're around or when they're gone. It's like living here, where it's always summer, even in the most bitter of winter. It hurts and it heals and makes you…Stupid and heedless I suppose."

"Have you ever been stupid and heedless?"

Hades smiled, kissing the hidden spot behind her ear before catching her earlobe between his teeth momentarily. "A few times."

Persephone giggled, bunching up her shoulders a little. "Are you married?"

"No."

"Do you want to be? Do that again," She added almost as an afterthought, an innocent tongue speaking dangerous words that had Hades stomach in sudden knots. "That was nice."

"Someday. When I find the right person. This?" He breathed gently, kissing the spot where her neck met her shoulder. His lips were warm and parted just enough that he could savor the fleeting taste of her skin. Persephone leaned slightly into the point of contact, making a low, contended _mmming_ sound that made Hades grit his teeth with the physical restraint it took him from covering every inch of her exposed skin in lips, tongue, and teeth.

"I like your work," Persephone announced. "I like your maps. As a matter of fact…I think I'll keep them!"

With this childish exclamation, she seized one of his maps and hopped off his lap, already darting for the door. Hades roared with laughter, chasing her and catching her around the waist before she could leave, spinning her around a few times while she squealed and swore, trying to escape. He finally set her down but kept his arms locked around her waist and growled into her hair,

"Give me my map, Sephne."

"No!"

"You're a little brat," He snarled, grinning as he bit her earlobe again. "Give. Me. My map."

"Take it from me," She panted daringly, still trying to squirm away, but exhilarated because she finally had all his attention.

Hades was done playing games. Persephone was teasing him with herself, and he didn't appreciate her coyness. After a while, outright shamelessness was the only way to go.

Hades dragged his mouth down the length of Persephone's pale neck, relishing the shudder he felt go through her body, then traced the delicate scrollwork of her ear with the hot tip of his tongue. If the fire she was playing with wasn't apparent up to this point, it was now.

"Do what I say, Persephone."

She said nothing for a moment, then burst forth laughing again. "No!"

Then she elbowed him hard in the gut before flying out the door and into the nearest field, squealing with laughter and shouting at him to come and get her. Hades would have loved to say he had more dignity and self-restraint than chasing her though the field before catching her and dragging her down squalling into the tall grass, but that would be lying. The pair of them crashed into the moss of the earth in a flurry of battling limbs and breathless laughter, Hades trying to pry his map from Persephone's talon fingers.

"It's not funny, Sephne!"

"It's hilarious!" She lay on her back on the ground with the map curled up tight and pressed to her stomach. "Okay, I'll hand it over."

Hades held out a hand expectantly, feeling like a fool for wrestling thirteen year old demi-goddesses in the heat and dust. Persephone's eyes took on a wicked sparkle.

"On one condition."

"I'm about to get scary, Persephone, what is it?"

She looked up at him, biting her lower lip shyly, although her voice was brazen and casual. "Give us a kiss. It's a fair price."

Hades had the strange sensation of his blood going cold at the exact moment of his face flushing with hot embarrassment.

"What?"

Persephone seemed injured. "Well don't you think I'm pretty?"

"Unbearably," Hades groaned, trying to be firm and rational. "But I won't do that Persephone, cannot, that would be wrong. You're a baby-"

"I'm thirteen!"

"You know nothing of the things you speak of," Hades snapped, a little harshly. "This isn't a game, don't you see? Besides, I'm your uncle."

"That's never stopped anyone in this family before," Persephone mumbled, put out. "You kissed me in the house…"

"And I shouldn't have. Besides, that was different, that was…"

"Play?" She demanded. "For Zues' sake, I'm not asking you to marry me, I just want to know what love feels like."

"A kiss won't bring you love," Hades scoffed, natural cynicism showing through. "How naïve you are."

Persephone looked up at him from her spot in the grass, wide eyes searching for something real to cling to. "It's the closest thing I know," She said softly, and it was then Hades realized that her inquiry was more of a plea, something she craved desperately. He shook his head, pressing his lips together tight. He cared for Persephone dearly, he wanted to give her the world and teach her everything he knew and claim every bit of her body as his own. But Persephone was just beginning to breach the confines of her youthful innocence, and he refused to be the cause of sudden changes she simply was not ready for.

So he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the delicate hollow of her throat square between her collarbones, gentle and gracious in this gesture.

"That's not what I meant," She grumbled, although her voice was softened by tenderness and curiosity.

"Grow up a few years and then ask me to kiss you on the mouth," Hades murmured into her skin, resisting the urge to add, _if I don't beat you to it_.

He trailed a line of kisses down her sternum to the soft space between her breasts, exposed graciously by the low-cut shirt Demeter didn't like her to wear. Hades lost himself in the sound of her light breaths slowing and deepening, her pattering heart rate sliding up a few beats per minute, and smiled against a kiss.

"Is this alright?"

"Very," She breathed.

Hades slid his hands up her sides, taking the hem of her shirt up with them so the flat expanse of her stomach was exposed to the sun and the exploration of his mouth. He devoured the taste of her and the sensation of her forbidden flesh burning against the tip of his tongue as he slowed his kisses down; doing everything he could to excite her. Her chest was rising and falling ostentatiously, one tiny hand pressed over her face, either to hide her eyes from the glare of the sun or mask her irregular sighing.

"Hades," She breathed, trying to make some sort of statement, but that was all she could manage, and it came out on a light moan that had Hades swallowing a groan of his own as he bit the edge of her navel. Persephone gasped, arching her stomach into to the warmth of his mouth, and just about the time Hades started to get the feeling that he should probably stop, Demeter's voice broke the heady summer calm.

"Persephone! Where did you go, dear? Persephone?"

The girl's eyes shot open and she scrambled up suddenly, yanking down her shirt and looking all around. She spotted her mother on the front porch and smiled sheepishly, still a little out of breath.

"Coming!"

She darted through the grass without so much of a goodbye, leaving Hades stunned and guilty in the grass, but returned a moment later to press the map into his surprised hands.

She pecked his cheek dryly, beaming at him. "Thanks," She whispered conspiratorially, then ran off with a honey-sweet smile and candy-apple lie for her mother.

In the tall grass, Hades pressed a fist to his tingling lips, wondering how in the world he of all people had ended up in this of all predicaments.


	3. Lipstick

As the days slid by, Hades grew closer to Persephone and her mother. Since their romp in the grass Persephone craved his presence more than ever and was forever at his heels, though not in an annoying, childish way. If anything she tried to appear more mature, and it became apparent that if she was merely curious before, now she was truly and utterly taken with him. Overnight, Persephone had decided that she would make a conscious effort not to stain every dress she owned and to keep her hair done up nicely and even wear makeup upon rare occasion. Demeter was delighted by this, often stating over private lunches with Hades that even though Persephone was still bratty, precocious, and mouthy, it was easier to deal with if she at least dressed like a lady.

She of course didn't know that her daughter was dangerously close to_ too_ close to Hades, and that their lessons and play were always undercut with the slightest current of secrecy and eroticism. Hades usually had enough sense to keep his hands off Persephone (disregarding the time she wore an off-the shoulder shirt that made him sink to his knees behind her and run slow hands up her bare arms as he pressed kisses to every inch of exposed shoulders, neck, and back he could find) and Persephone rarely initiated anything between the two of them (disregarding the time she had been so impressed by something clever he had said that she had circled her little arms around his neck and given him a hot, openmouthed kiss behind the ear that left a sensuous smudge of coral lipstick in its wake) and so Demeter knew nothing. The goddess was merely delighted by the closeness between Hades and her daughter because it would make the hypothetical shift in family dynamics if Hades ever came to his senses and married her that much easier, and so saw only what she wanted to see.

Demeter had cozied up to Hades considerably as well, and was now convinced that she was in some sort of relationship with him. Hades was not completely innocent in this; he had certainly allowed her to think that. They spent time together, shared nearly everything, even kissed upon occasion. Truth be told, Hades wanted to snap out of his infatuation with Persephone and fall for Demeter, he didn't see why it wasn't possible. The goddess had been his friend since childhood, she was one of the most beautiful women he knew, and lo and behold, she was the same age as him…But Persephone brought him to his knees. Demeter only slightly warmed his disposition, like comparing hard alcohol to a familiar tea. Also (and Hades desperately hoped it wasn't his ego rationalizing his lust), Persephone was easier to relate to intellectually. It sounded insane, after all she was only a child, but she was sharp and possessed a boundless appetite for knowledge. Persephone wanted to know everything there was to know and tried to start debates with him on a regular basis, Demeter had no desire to discuss anything to terribly far removed from gardening and society life. Half the reason Hades and Persephone's relationship turned as intense as it did as fast as it did was that they fell in love with each other's minds; he with her wonder and natural wit, she with his clever speech and boundless supply of useful facts.

That wasn't to say the god of the dead was having some sort of illicit affair with his niece, quite the opposite. The relationship between the two of them was warm and intimate, but with a safe distance and was above all, unpredictable. Some days, they were father and daughter, others, a pair of scholars arguing just to have the pleasure off hearing the others' rebuttal, and on the more dangerous days they were a man and a woman who wanted nothing more than to go to bed together and never come back out. Hades never knew if when Persephone rushed to give him his morning hug if she were seeking innocent security, scholarly stimulation, or sexual excitement. And the worst part was, he never really knew what he wanted either, until he was holding her as she cried or pointing out why exactly Yeats was superior to Byron or trying to control his breathing as she ran her tiny hands down her chest, just to see how it would make her feel.

For a long time, things were happy. Hades enjoyed reminiscing with Demeter and listening to her warm laughter fill the kitchen as he made them coffee in the morning, and he cherished the delicate balance of whatever it was he had with Persephone. For a good long while, nothing hurt. And then, in one terrible night, everything was shattered.

It started with the proposal. Of course it did. Looking back on it, Hades would sullenly note than none of what had happened would have needed to transpire if Demeter hadn't done what she did, but that didn't change the fact that yes, after waiting for almost three months for Hades to do something about them, Demeter had asked the god to marry her. She did it one night after Persephone had gone to bed, over wine and the softly droning voice of the nearby radio, and it broadsided Hades completely. There was such love and hope in Demeter's eyes that he almost broke down then and there, taking her hands in his and shamefully telling her everything, begging forgiveness as a mortal would one of their saints. But he managed to keep his composure and had listened to Demeter profess her damned love and offer him everything she had, and he couldn't say no. He physically couldn't. It was ridiculous, he was the god of the Underworld, he had heard every sob story and plea of love or hate you cared to conjure and was immune to every one of them…Excel the one of this marvelous creature he had grown up and felt nothing but platonic admiration for. So he said maybe. Smoothly, in a comforting, rational way that spoke of "making a big decision" and "taking things slow at the moment" and he hated himself for being such a good liar. It was then he knew that he couldn't carry this charade on any longer. He had to leave Demeter in peace and allow her heart to heal. Besides, The Underworld would be needing him.

The next day, Hades sat in his usual chair in the sunroom, thinking along these bleak, fatalistic lines while Persephone colored pictures at his feet, humming a song Hades didn't know. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Hades composed himself and gently roused the girl from her thoughts.

"Sephne."

"Hmm?"

"I need to talk to you, sweetheart."

"Bout what?" She queried, looking up at him from her spot on the floor, rolling a piece of gum around in the magnificent mouth. Hades shifted uncomfortably.

"You do realize that my staying here isn't permanent, don't you? That I will return one day to the Underworld?"

"Course," Persephone laughed. "But not for a long while. Time difference, remember?"

"I'm afraid it will be sooner than either of us would like. It's already been a week in my time, Sephne, I cannot continue to abandon my godly duties. And I must leave you and your mother in peace; I've encroached upon your lives long enough."

Persephone's eyes were suddenly filled with hurt tears. "What? No!" She scrambled to her hands and knees, crawling over to Hades' chair and kneeling by his side. "We love you! We don't want you to leave. Please Hades, stay here. Stay with me."

_Stay with me_**.** Again he almost broke. But then the god found his resolve, running a trembling hand over her beautiful hair.

"Persephone, I can't."

"Why?"

"You know very well why. I've never treated you as a child, you understand insinuation, I won't start doing it now."

"Hades she doesn't know!"

"And that is wicked of us, do you understand? I love your mother, Sephne."

The demi-goddess looked as though someone had shot poisoned arrows through her heart, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Love? Are….Will you marry her?"

"That would be lying, no. I don't love her in the sense of marriage, more in the sense of family, and that is why I cannot stay and continue to break her heart and corrupt your beautiful innocence."

"I'm not innocent," Persephone challenged.

"Yes you are," Hades laughed softly. "And a terrible liar." Then he sobered up. "I'm leaving, Persephone. Soon."

The little goddesses' face fell, and she cried for a moment, then looked up at him and said with all the steady resolve and loving sacrifice of a woman twice her age,

"Then I shall go with you."

Hades had nothing to say to this, so moving were the words, but he didn't have to. Persephone pulled herself up and into his lap, sliding her stocking-clad knees snugly in on either side of him, and kissed him on the mouth. Chastely, nervously, just the gentle pressure of skin on skin. Hades leaned into the point of contact and felt the thrill of it shoot through his soul, which only compounded when Persephone pulled away with gleaming eyes and parted lips. Hades ran a thumb over her mouth, tracing the warm, wet hollow and knew then that they were both lost.

He kissed her hungrily, catching the pillow of her eager mouth in his own insistent one, working her open wide and wrapping his arms around her waist. Persephone leaned into him eagerly, making soft sighing noises as waves of pleasure and arousal swept through her system, igniting synapses in her brain she didn't know existed. Hades didn't care about protecting Persephone anymore, only chasing her deeper down the rabbit hole of desire, and slid a hand under her skirt high up on her thigh, just below the curve of her bottom. She clutched the lapel of his jacket, trying to keep up with him, biting him rather cattily on the mouth when he refused to slow down. Hades drew away in surprise, then smiled at her slyly and dug his fingernails into the soft flesh of her thigh, wrapping his mouth around her neck.

Hades bit and sucked as slow as she liked on her delicate skin, leaving red marks in his wake, then groaned when Persephone rolled her hips tighter into the heat of his lap and laced her mischievous fingers through his dark hair. She breathed heavily, terrified at the sudden throbbing need low in her abdomen though exhilarated that Hades was completely in the moment with her, holding nothing back because of her age. That passion was a bit frightening though, like she was fast losing control of the situation. In her panic, Persephone managed to speak.

"Hades," She moaned, and there was that fear again. Hades heard it.

The god drew back from his ill gotten prize, taking her face in his hands, suddenly sick with himself and everything that he'd done. He withdrew from her a bit.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. I want this. Just…Not like this."

It was surprisingly insightful for someone her age. Hades smoothed her hair back gingerly, as if he was afraid of breaking what he had relished in pushing to the limits a moments ago.

"Neither do I." A thought struck him. A stupid, reckless, heedless thought that made the coldest part of his heart glow with warmth. "Sephne…Marry me."

Persephone punched him rather hard in the shoulder, pouting.

Hades, surprised as he could be, massaged the stinging shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry. That's a stupid idea, I know…"

"Of course I'll marry you, silly man," Persephone said craftily. "I just wanted to ask you first!"

Hades laughed at her display, half from amusement and half from the sheer euphoria of her answer. "Well the result's the same!"

"Yes it is," She grinned, letting him kiss her again, this time slowly, to savor it, with complete security and faith in the other. She muttered huskily between kisses,

"I'm going to be your wife, Hades. All yours. And you will be my husband."

Hades would have pinned her down right then and there and unlaced her dress with his teeth if Demeter hadn't appeared in the doorway with the most horrid look of betrayal and jealousy on her face.

**Might continue from here, might not…What do you guys think?**


End file.
